Artificial leg



(No Model.)

A. A. WINKLEY.

ARTIFICIAL LEG.

No, 316,589. Patented Apr. 28, 1885.

,J RM? 1 yztcrnf ya Nirn marine ALBERT A. WINKLEY, OF FARIBAULT,MINNESOTA.

ARTlFlClAL LEG.

SPEGIFIGATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 316,589, dated April28,1885.

Application filed February 20, 1885. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALBERT A. WINKLEY, of Faribault, in the county ofRice and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Artificial Legs; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,and to the figures and letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention has for its primary object to provide an artificial limbthat will not chafe nor rub the wearers stump; and it consists in anovel construction and arrangement of parts, substantially such as Iwill first proceed to describe, and then point out particularly in theclaims at the end of this specification.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a limb embodying my inventionadapted for use in the case of an amputation below the knee, said limbbeing shown in one position in full lines and in another position indotted lines. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same. Fig.3 is a view of a limb adapted for use in the case of an amputation abovethe knee and Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the limb shownin Fig. 3.

Similar letters of reference in the several figures indicate the sameparts.

The form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 consists of threeprincipal parts namely, a socket, A, adapted to fit over the end S ofthe wearers stump, a second socket, B, formed. to receive the socket A,and a third socket, O, in which fits the part of the wearers leg abovethe knee. All these sockets are preferably made of leather or othersuitable material, and each is provided with lacings or equivalent meansthat will permit of its adaptability or adjustment to the part to whichit is to be applied.

The sockets B and G are connected by means of straps or braces D,preferably of steel, hinged together at d, whilethe socket A on the endof the stump is connected to the socket B by flexible and preferablyelastic connections ca, as shown in Fig. 1. It results from thisconstruction that the stump is always kept firmly seated within thesocket A, in whatever position the wearers leg may be placed, and thatwhile there is a movement of the socket A up and down within the socketG to the extent of about threequarters of an inch, the frictionresulting from such motion is between the sockets only, the stump beingentirely relieved of it.

In adapting my invention to limbs intended for use in cases Where therehas been an amputation above the knee, some changes have necessarily tobe made; but the principle of operation still remains the same. In Figs.3 and 4 I have shown one such adaptation. Here the socket which confinesthe end of the stump (lettered in this instance F) fits within the mainsocket G. The said socket G is supported by straps H H, that pass upover the wearers shoulder, as usual, while the stump-socket F is in turnsecured by the elastic connections f f to the said shoulderstraps at hh, as shown, from which it results that while there may be slightfriction between the two sockets F and G, there will be none between thestump and its socket,for the reason that the latter is always heldclosely to its place by means of its elastic connections.

The value and importance of my improve ment in artificial limbs thatwill obviate the' rubbing and chafing of the stump will at once beappreciated by any one who has had occasion to use such an appliance,and it is with satisfaction that I am able to say that after a personaltest of my invention for over nine months it effectually accomplishesthis result.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is 1.. In anartificial leg, the combination,with a socket for receiving the wearersstump, and a second or outer socket in which the said stump-socket fits,of appliances for supporting the outer socket and flexible or elasticconnections for holding the stump-socket to its place on the stumpindependently of the outer socket, substantially as described, for thepurpose specified.

2. The combination, with the sockets A, B, and 0, connected together asdescribed, of the stump-socket A and the flexible and elastic straps forsupporting the stump-socket independently of the socket in which itfits.

ALBERT A. WINKLEY Witnesses:

A. D. KEYES, S. N. LoUenn.

